Ohnion
Monday, November 7, 1994 Page 4
i ---. ——
Nebraskan
EdHorial Board
University of Nebraska Lincoin
JeffZeleny.Editor, 472-1766
Kara Morrison. Opinion Page Editor
Angie Brunkow..Managing Editor
Jeffrey Robb.Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell.Columnist/Associate News Editor
Mike Lewis.Copy Desk Chief
James Mehsling.Cartoonist
-■ I
Campaign ‘94
Daily Nebraskan Endorsements
Let us vote
Amendment motions should be on ballot
The Nebraska Supreme Court issued a poor ruling on Friday.
In a 4-3 opinion, the court ruled that five proposed constitu
tional amendments be taken off the Tuesday ballot.
The reason for striking the amendments, the court majority said,
was because the amendments were filed one day late.
The dissenting judges, however, agreed that the filing deadline
was unclear.
According to the law, the amendments were to be filed “no less
than four months preceding the election.”
State Sen. Tim Hall of Omaha filed the explanatory language
for the amendments on July 8, which he understood to be the filing
deadline. The court majority ruled that the language should have
been filed no later than July 7.
In a dissenting opinion, Judge John Wright wrote, “A filing on
Jan. 1 is not less than a month prior to Feb. 1. A filing on July 8 is
not less than four months prior to Nov. 8.”
We agree.
r The lawyer who filed the suit to remove the proposed amend
ments happens to be opposed to one of them — the one that would
have made arbitration an alternative to settling disputes in court.
It remains a question as to whether the content of the amend
ments was considered in the ruling.
Even the three dissenting judges said they would have thrown
out the proposed amendment on binding arbitration, because they
said it was not made clear to voters that the amendment could have
infringed on a person’s right to go to court.
This, however, is not what the court was to rule on.
What was handed down mi Friday was a nonsensical opinion
that will only penalize the voters of the state of Nebraska.
Don’t restrict us
Term limits would limit right to choose
Term limits probably would not be a good idea for the state of
Nebraska.
Initiative 408, a proposal placed on Tuesday’s ballot by citizen
petition, would amend the state constitution to establish term limits
for many of Nebraska’s elected officials, including U.S. senators
and representatives, state legislators and other state officials.
Supporters say term limits would make elected officials more
accountable and promote fresh approaches to government. Politi
cians presumably would dedicate their energy toward their public
duties instead of trying to get themselves re-elected.
Term limit supporters have good motives. But the arguments
against term limits arc too strong.
For one thing, Nebraska would be at a disadvantage in Con
gress. Power in Congress often is based on seniority, and term
limits would prevent Nebraska’s representatives and senators from
securing positions on influential committees.
Also, term limits would deprive voters of the right to re-elect
officials they like. A politician should be allowed to remain in
office as long as voters are satisfied with his or her performance.
Term limits imply that the electorate can’t be trusted to make
smart decisions.
The Daily Nebraskan urges you to vote “no” on Initiative 408.
• ——^
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1994 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by
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• its students.
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■ Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space
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rffUoTA (W Horr^l OK M A 1
(wseosity lumwsd
Greater misery triggers glee
Vinous polls show that the
overwhelming majority of Ameri
cans are glum.
They dislike the national decline
in everybody else’s morality,
meddling government, doublespeak
politicians, arrogant media, highly
paid athletes, sports strikes, and
many other annoyances.
The question is, why are people
so unhappy when times are rela
tively good, the economy seems
perky, and it seems unlikely that
Judge Ito will totally ban TV
coverage?
To get answers, I arranged for an
exclusive interview with Dr. I.M.
Kookie, the internationally re
nowned expert on lots of stuff. Dr.
Kookie has been studying the
droopy American spirit at the think
tank he founded: Tne Institute to
Determine What’s Up.
Here are some of his findings:
“People are unhappy for one
very simple reason. They are not
unhappy enough.”
but mat aoesn i make sense.
How can they be unhappy because
they are not unhappy when it is
clear that they are, indeed, un
happy?
“That is a very good question.
Actually, it is a stupid question, but
I will try to be polite. So I will
answer it anyway. OK, when you
are real thirsty, what makes you feel
better?”
Having something to drink.
“Right. And when you are real
hungry, what makes you feel
gooor
Obviously, having something to
eat.
“Vfery good. Now do you under
stand?”
I’m afraid not.
“Misery. We need more misery.
Until we get more misery, people
will be miserable. Now you got it?”
We need more misery to be
happy?
“Exactly. We got it too good.
When was the last time you had to
call you brother-in-law to bring
over his jumper cables because the
cold weather killed your car
battery?”
It has been so long, I don’t
remember.
“See? It used to be that when we
{’0t a cold snap, every brothcr-in
aw to bring over his jumper cables
because the cold weather killed
your car battery?’
It has been so long, I don’t
remember.
“See? It used to be that when we
got a cold snap, every brother-in
7he question is, why are people so
unhappy when times are relatively
good, the economy seems perky,
and it seems unlikely that Judge Ito
will totally ban TV coverage?
law was out with his jumper cables.
But now they make better cars and
batteries that almost always start.
SO how can you feel good when
your engine starts if you weren’t
miserable because it didn’t start in
the first place?”
So we need dead batteries to be
happy?
“More than that. In the Great -
Depression, what made people
miserable?”
That’s easy. Being out of work,
not having food or a roof over their
heads.
“Ri^ht. So what made them
*ia*Xjob, food on the table, and a
warm place to sleep.
“You got it. Any kind of job
made a person happy. The job
didn’t have to fulfill them or be on
the fast track, as long as it provided
a paycheck. Food was pretty good
haute cuisine if it filled the belly.
And nobody complained about not
having as nice a house as their
parents had, because most parents
were lucky to have clean linoleum
and a toilet that flushed.”
So you are saying that in order
to appreciate what you have, you
have to have been deprived.
“It helps. But now we got every
kind of machine we need to keep us
cool when it’s hot, warm when it’s
cold, entertained with movies or
sports or games or music when
we’re bored. To make our coffee
and cook our food real fast. To cut
our grass, throw our snow, wash
our dishes, clean our clothes,
exercise your legs, check your blood
pressure, count our calories, and do
our arithmetic. Fifty years ago, the
world’s richest people didn’t have
the luxuries that the average guy —
even some low income guys — take
for granted today.”
But if we have it so good, why
are the majority of Americans
unhappy?
“Because they want more, and
there ain’t no more, but people
think there is. That’s wny millions
of them are running out an buying
themselves or their kids computers
with a CD-ROM. A few years ago,
they would have thought that CD
ROM was a mantra: See-Dee
Romm-Romm, See-Dee Romm
Romm, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.
Now they think a CD-ROM will
bring them happiness. But it
won7t All that will happen is that
it will keep popping out and goofy
messages will come on the com
puter screen saying, ‘Insert Disk,*
‘Remove Disk,’Take Disk and
Shove It.* Then they will tell a
pollster that life is doo-doo ”
SO you seem to be saying that to
be happy, you must know some
misery first. Only then can you
enjoy simple pleasures.
“well, I would not put it in such
a sappy way, but that’s part of it.
See, what we really need is for the
government to say that we are
going to be hit by a giant meteor ”
A giant meteor from outer
space?
“Right. They should announce
that it is going to crash into this
planet in 30 days and kill every
thing except the cockroaches. And
so in a few million years, the
cockroaches will evolve into
sharpies like us and will be un
happy with their CD-ROMs. Yes
we need an end-of-the-world
meteor alert.”
But are we in danger?
“Of course not. But if it was
announced, it would scare every
body out of their wits for a few days
and there would be mass hysteria.
Then the government could
announce that it was a mistake and
that we aren’t all going to die after
all, and everybody would be
relieved and happy to be alive.”
Then people would appreciate
what they have and be happy?
“Maybe. Or they’d be unhappy
and would impeach the president.
Cither way, it a worth a try.”
Thank you.
“Don’t worry, be happy.”
Copyright 1994 Tribune Media Service*,
lac.
